Telephone call processing and switching systems of many types are known in the art. Such systems are used in telemarketing operations, telephone-based information systems, financial and insurance service operations, and public service centers, to name but a few examples. Automated or semi-automated call centers are examples of such systems, including functional features such as automatic call distributors (ACD), interactive voice response (IVR or VRU) systems, and coordinated voice and data delivery.
For example, telemarketing is a well-known form of remote commerce, that is, commerce wherein the person making the sale or taking the sales data is not in the actual physical presence of the potential purchaser or customer. In general operation, a prospective purchaser typically calls a toll-free telephone number, such as an 800 number. The number dialed is determined by the carrier as being associated with the telemarketer, and the call is delivered to the telemarketer's call center. A typical call center will have a front end with one or more VRU units, call switching equipment, an ACD, and several work stations having a telephone and computer terminal at which a live operator processes the call. The dialed number, typically taken automatically from the carrier (long distance) through use of the dialed number identification service (DNIS), is utilized to effect a database access resulting in a “screen pop” of a script on the operator's computer terminal, utilizing a computer telephone integration (CTI) network. In this way, when a prospective purchaser calls a given telephone number, a telemarketing operator may immediately respond with a script keyed to the goods or services offered. The response may be at various levels of specificity, ranging from a proffer of a single product, e.g., a particular audio recording, or may be for various categories of goods or services, e.g., where the dialed number is responded to on behalf of an entire supplier. Typically, the prospective purchaser is responding to an advertisement or other solicitation, such as a mail order catalog or the like, from which the telephone number is obtained.
The use of telephonic systems to effect commercial transactions is now well known. For example, in Katz U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,968, filed Feb. 24, 1987, and issued Dec. 20, 1988, entitled “Statistical Analysis System for Use With Public Communication Facility”, an interactive telephone system for merchandising is disclosed. In one aspect of the disclosure, a caller may interact with an interactive voice response (IVR or VRU) system to effectuate a commercial transaction. For example, the caller may be prompted to identify themselves, such as through entry of a customer number as it may appear on a mail order catalog. In an interactive manner, the caller may be prompted to enter an item number for purchase, utilizing an item number designation from the catalog or otherwise interact with the system to identify the good or service desired. Provision is made for user entry of payment information, such as the entry of a credit card number and type identifier, e.g., VISA, American Express, etc. Options are provided for voice recording of certain information, such as name, address, etc., which is recorded for later processing, or in certain modes of operation, connecting the customer to a live operator for assistance.
More recent applications for electronic commerce are described in Katz PCT Publication No. WO94/21084, entitled “Interactive System for Telephone and Video Communication Including Capabilities for Remote Monitoring”, published Sep. 15, 1994. In certain aspects, the application provides systems and methods for conduct of electronic commerce over communication networks, such as through the accessing of such resources via an on-line computer service, wherein the commercial transaction may be effected including some or all of dynamic video, audio and text data. Optionally, the system contemplates the interchange of electronic commerce commercial data, e.g., electronic data interchange (EDI) data, where on-line computer services are used by at least certain of the potential purchasers to interface the system, such as is used to access the Internet.
One example of a telecommunications system is a call center. While not conceded to be prior art, one embodiment of a call center system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,844 to Uppaluru et al. Toll-free calls are intercepted at or near their points of origin by a point-of-presence (POP) call center gateway, and connected to a business call center just as an operator picks up a proxy call initiated at the business call center. To be effective, the system requires a large number of the described POP call center gateways. The system is also limited to 800 number calls reliant upon the Service Management Systeem/800 (SMS/800) routing capability, and it does not eliminate the need to have a fully equipped business call center in communication with the POP call center gateways.
One disadvantage of the call centers known to the art is the capital expense involved in setting up and maintaining such call centers. Call centers typically require multiple VRU units, call switches, automatic call distributors, agent workstations, and the like. This equipment is relatively expensive to purchase and maintain. A further disadvantage of the known call centers is their underuse. A typical call center will have periods of time of peak use, and other periods of underuse. As a result, staffing of the call center is a challenge, and much of the equipment is left unused or underused for extended periods of time.
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is a broadband technology that has been applied to telecommunications systems in certain limited applications. For example, while again not conceded to be prior art, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,380 to Christie et al., a system is disclosed for providing virtual connections through an ATM interworking multiplexer on a call-by-call basis. The patent does not describe, however, methods or apparatus for applying ATM technology and capabilities to a telecommunications system on a large scale, such as may be required for a telemarketing call center or systems requiring higher call volume.